Prowler aircraft damaged after leaving runway during landing at Cherry Point

Apr. 15, 2014 - 06:00AM
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Marine officials are investigating a night landing that went awry involving an EA-6B Prowler stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., that resulted in at least $1 million in damage, according to a report from the Naval Safety Center. (Airforce via Wikipedia)

Marine officials are investigating a mishap involving an electronic warfare aircraft stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., that has resulted in at least $1 million in damage according to a report from the Naval Safety Center.

The damage to the EA-6B Prowler occurred when a night landing went awry earlier this month but details are still unclear about whether the plane overshot, skidded or veered off the runway.

The plane was attached to Cherry Point’s Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2, said 1st Lt. Hector Alejandro, a Cherry Point spokesman. The twin engine plane was conducting a night training flight April 2, and departed the runway following landing around 9:50p.m, he said.

None of the three Marines aboard the aircraft at the time were injured, he said. However, he said, the full extent of the damage to the plane has yet to be determined by an investigation.

“The squadron is currently conducting an Aircraft Mishap Board safety investigation,” Alejandro said. “The AMB is used to determine mishap causes for the sole purpose of safety and mishap prevention through the dissemination of lessons learned.”

Any follow-on actions would also be determined after the completion of the investigation, he said.

This is the second Class A mishap for Marine aviation this year, according to the Naval Safety Center, which first reported the event. Incidents are classified as Class A mishaps if they result in death or permanent disability or cause $1 million or more worth of damage.

On March 1, a Marine F/A-18 fighter that was on loan to the Naval Strike & Air Warfare Center in Fallon, Nev., crashed during training, killing the pilot. The cause of that tragedy also remains under investigation.